Three Words
by KaibaGirl17
Summary: "I love you." Those three words had never needed to be said before in order for Narcissa to know they were true. But here and now, he could see it in her eyes that she desperately needed to hear them. One-shot, takes place between Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows.


A/N: I've been re-reading all of the Harry Potter books and re-watching all of the movies, and I finally got some inspiration. I've seen a great deal of wonderful fics focusing on the Malfoys (most of which have been written by the talented tinylexie and if you haven't had the chance, take some time and check her writing out.) but I haven't seen any for when Lucius was first 'liberated' between book six and book seven. So, I figured I'd take a crack at it. I hope you all like it. Feel free to let me know, just note I will refuse to acknowledge flames.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, J.K. Rowling does.

...

Lucius could not express how wonderful it felt to be outside the walls of Azkaban where he had languished for the past year. Even with the Dark Lord still far from pleased with him, the Malfoy patriarch had only one thing in mind; seeing them again.

...

Narcissa sat stiffly, trying to contain her anxiety. Had the Dark Lord changed his mind about liberating the Death Eaters from Azkaban? Had he decided to leave Lucius there?

She did not dare look at her sister just in case Bella confirmed her fears that Voldemort had indeed chosen to leave her husband where he was. Instead, she looked to Severus. Now that Lucius had fallen from favor, it seemed that Severus, his old friend, had now all but replaced him.

Blue eyes met black and Severus gave a small, imperceptible nod.

Narcissa let out a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding. Her husband would be returned to her, Draco would have his father back.

Draco, who had fought to keep himself composed, looked to his mother, a small but still present smile upon his pale face.

Under the table, Narcissa reached over and took her son's hand, silently conveying the comforting words she so wished she could say to him. Draco's hand shook ever so slightly as he clung to hers but tried to keep from making it too obvious. Normally, the platinum-haired boy tried to refrain from seeming like a child, but at the moment, the only thing that mattered was knowing if his family would indeed be reunited.

Almost immediately, the door to the drawing room opened and slowly the newcomers entered and took their seats at the table.

The man who took the seat next to Narcissa looked nothing like the man she had seen depart for the Ministry over a year ago. Lucius's hair, normally so sleek and perfect, hung limp around his shoulders and his once sharp grey eyes now sunken. It had only been a year, but it seemed like it had been an eternity. Lucius looked tired, he looked hollow, and he looked haunted.

...

After the Dark Lord had ended the meeting, Lucius and Narcissa had retired upstairs to their bedroom, a place that for the last year had seemed so empty to Narcissa. She had lost count of how many nights she would lie awake in silence, wishing that at any moment her husband would appear and apologize for making her wait so long, though he never needed to. Or how she wished she would turn and see him lying beside her only to see nothing more than the bed.

She didn't say a word, she merely laid her head against her husband, retreating behind his curtain of equally pale hair, savoring the feeling of once again having his arms wrapped around her as she willed herself not to cry even though she knew he would not think less of her if she did.

Lucius had thought the most wonderful feeling upon his release had been feeling the fresh air on his face, but he had been wrong. The most wonderful feeling was the one he was experiencing right this moment; the feeling of once again laying eyes upon his wife's beautiful face, the feeling of her fingers entwining with his, the feeling of knowing he had come home to her.

Then, as he looked into her eyes, he could see the unshed tears within the cerulean irises.

"I love you."

Those three words had never needed to be said before in order for Narcissa to know they were true. But here and now, he could see it in her eyes that she desperately needed to hear them.

Narcissa's lips parted and her pale eyebrows raised ever so slightly.

"Lucius..."

Hearing his name would have been enough, but then came "I love you too..."

Just like his wife, the blond wizard had never needed a verbal declaration to know her feelings toward him. But right now, they provided a solace that he never could have imagined could come from mere words, particularly words so many tossed around so casually that they hardly had meaning anymore.

...

Lucius's eyes flew open as he awoke with a start.

After looking around for merely a second, he concluded that he was indeed back at Malfoy Manor, his sleeping wife beside him.

Taking a silent but deep breath, he slowly lay back, once again slipping under the soft sheets as Narcissa shifted closer to him.

"You're home now, Lucius. You're back where you belong."

He hadn't meant to wake her, but now Narcissa glanced up at him sleepily, her hair fanned out around her as she took his hands in her own, silently coaxing him to go back to sleep.

She could hear him whisper those three words once again as he closed his eyes, to which she replied in kind.

The Malfoys had never needed to declare their love for one another, but after all that had occurred in the last year, just this once wouldn't hurt anyone.

...

...

I hope everyone enjoyed that. Feel free to let me know.


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